The McKinley Young Storytellers script to stage program held “The Big Show” in the William McKinley Elementary School auditorium on April 21.
Ten fifth-grade screenwriters from the school partnered with mentors from Walt Disney Studios to develop scripts over the 2015-16 school year. Professional actors came in and read those scripts for “The Big Show” to an audience of the entire fifth grade.
The students meet at lunch for several weekly sessions in the fall and the spring with their Disney mentors and learn about script writing, explained McKinley Principal Liz Costella.
“Their mentors help them create a script that can come alive on the stage,” she went on to say. “Disney gets actors to act out the scripts the day of ‘The Big Show.’ The actors don’t see the script before the day of the show.”
Disney’s Robert Bishop acted as head mentor for the program.
Scripts presented were:
“DFL” – A rookie T-Rex wide receiver must learn to believe in himself to defeat his rival, a professional linebacker velociraptor, in order to win the Dino bowl.” – written by Robert Garayoa, mentored by Brian McDevitt.
“The Lightsaber Steal” – “Four people. One trophy. Who will win?” – written by Adriana Flores, mentored by Alex Kang.
“Making Friends” – “How a cat and two marshmallows become friends and help each other.” – written by Samantha Aquino, mentored by Rene Benavides.
“The Minecraft Story Mode” – “A recent college graduate sets out to write and design the coolest Minecraft game for the chance to win $1.3 million prize.” – written by Guillermo Rodriguez, mentored by Manny Lima.
“Castle Moonlight” – “This is a story about a princess named Sarah and a Knight named Henry who has to fight an Evil Octopus.” – written by Alexander Aviles, mentored by Natalie Steffies.
“The Magical Adventure” – “Sunset the ghost cat must venture out to find a cure for her friend, Delta the Wold, who no longer is a wolf…” – written by Danielle Yap, mentored by Marcelina Hollender.
“The Strangest Story Ever” – “This is a strange story about an ordinary potato who saves his friends by doing something simple.” – written by Kelly Fitzgerald, mentored by Diana Stone.
“A Long Journey” – “The story of two people.” – written by Betel Merida-Flores, mentored by Beau Puckett.
“Dun Dun Duuuun…” – “In the woods, Caroline finds a doll, but the doll is actually eveil and curses Caroline and the whole town. So Caroline, along with the help of her friend Rene, must uncurse the town, learning how to do the dab along the way.” – written by Genevieve Corea, mentored by Amanda Oberg.
“The New Kind of Donoville” – “Two brothers must compete against each other for the kingdom as the king is dying.” – written by Donovan Feinberg, mentored by Amanda Raymond.
“This a wonderful program to have at McKinley; the students involved feel pride in seeing their script come to life,” commented Costella. “The other students who are the audience members are not only proud of their friends but they get see what an idea can become.”
The McKinley Young Storytellers program culminates with a visit to the Walt Disney Studios main lot in Burbank for a wrap party. Students will visit with their mentors a final time and check out a set or sound stage on the lot.
The Young Storytellers Foundation supports the Young Storytellers script to stage program at McKinley Elementary, in addition to the Young Movie Makers program at David Starr Jordan Middle and John Burroughs High School.
